Initiation of Wastewater Collection and Treatment for Minneapolis and Saint Paul, 1926–1938

In the modern world of today, it is easy to overlook significant accomplishments of the past century, some of which continue to provide benefits even to this day. One such accomplishment is the initiation of wastewater collection and treatment for Minneapolis and Saint Paul during the period 1926–1938. The problem addressed was the pollution of the Mississippi River. Extensive planning was followed by engineering design, construction, and operation of facilities that started the ever-evolving process of water pollution control. Evidence that this seminal work was of high quality is the fact that so much of this initial accomplishment remains fully functional and vital today. Evidence of the longevity of good planning, engineering, and construction is the remarkable record of subsequent inspection findings and low level of necessary maintenance and repair, particularly for the extensive collection system. Problems that have occurred provide lessons learned about the design details of the original project. The century since 1914, when the Minnesota Section, ASCE began, has seen the completion of many significant civil engineering projects. Perhaps none have been more so than the initiation of wastewater collection and treatment for Minneapolis and Saint Paul. This project is significant because of the gravity of the problem, the extensive nature of the planning, design, and construction, and the number of prominent civil engineers who were involved.